The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1887-02-05
CUR WASHINGTON LETTER
[From our Regular Correspondents, |

Washington, d. c., Jan %, 1887.
The United States Senate has done at least |
two notable things this week. 1t has |
given the British Lions tail vicious twist, |
and it has again refused to give the women |
who want to vote a change to submit the |
Constitutional amendment oil Woman Suffrage
to the State Legislatures. It is interesting to
be reminded now and then that the American
Eagle can still SOAR and that the fire of our
revolutionary sires ia not extinct. The belli-
gerent Oratory of Senators Ingalls, Frye and
Hale has furnished ample proof of this. The
occasion was debate on tho bill empowering
| the President to close the ports of the United
States against Canadian imports, as measure
of retaliation If Great Britain persists in Yio-
latlng her treaty obligations by subjecting
American fishermen to indignities and outrages
in Canadian waters. Senator Ingalls, thought
it was time to settle the fishery difficulties
either by negotiation or by war The measure
under discussion was distinctly one OF retalia-
ton. 1t was an eye for eye, u fish for o
fish, an insult for an insult. Countries had
been inundated with blood on less provocation
Senator Frye declared that the annals of
history-even of the Figi Islands-might be
searched without finding cases Of outrages so
brutal and inhumane. All these cases, he
= said, had been brought to the attention of the
British Government. There was not d line in
the history of England for the last 300 years
that gave the slightest reason to believe that
in the pursuit OF gain, of another to stand in
the way ofprogress: Senator Morgan thought
the law could be enacted without blood thirsty
I threats, and Senator Vest advised caution
9 When the cause of woman came mp in the
Senate Tuesday, there were about hundred
/, ladies from all parts of the country-leaderi
Y in the woman suffrage lnovement-in thu
!, Senate gallery anxiously awaiting the result
! Senator Blair of New Hampshire, woman (
g best Senatorial friend, had promised to maxi
,. an effort to get the question up for debate al
, this hour. The pet measures of severa
y Senators were in the way as unfinished busi
a ness, but they calamity voted against thei
II own bills in favor of the ladies. Senator Becl
- was one of these. He had intended TO brini
I. up his bill preventing Members of Congress
"A from acting as attorneys for railroads, and b
mentioned that disting ushed lady (lis
Anthony had sent i'll for him three times tn
to day before, and he had refused to e" out
Ia see her because he knew he would be unabl
m to refuse what she would ask. He knew sh
to would ask him to waive the claims Of his in
portant question in taver of hers. The wome
no are not asking Congress to let them vote, a
in Congress as has not that power The
he ask Congress to agree til t the follOwln
III proposed amendment to the Constitution ma
so be submitted to the various State Legislature
I'd "The right of citizens of the United States
at vote shall not be denied on account of SEE
w Congress shall have power, by appropriat
,x legislation, to enforce the provisions OF tn
article" Half dozen Senators made shol
speeches for and against woman suffrage, an
ks then by vote of - el6 the proposed amen
is ment was again rejected. The disappointe
OF ladies i'll the gallery repaired Immediately
ne the Metropolitan Church, where they 0pene
cG their nineteenth annual convention i'll Was
M ington. There they discussed man in gener
nj and the lawmakers of the United States
iu particular i'll language suitable to their on
ne ragged feelings. 1t was sad TO see Miss
hs thOny, that grim resolute veteran of woman
hg fight for woman, just a little discourage
'er After waiting aud working so hard for fort
ne years. she acknowledged that the promise
10 land seemed yet long way off. She kne
C., that woman must have all her rights in tim
no but there was no telling how long she weu
81 lave to wait. Mrs Shattucl1 of Massach
Ill srtts, who is fine speaker with fine vcic
thinks it will be at least twenty years befo
ty all tho women of the United States will
mn able to vote She divides tn women who
al not want to vote into six classes: First, t
ne prCjudiced; cond. the uninformed thir
,us those who are afraid of their gentlem
the friends; fourth those who always shirk Tia
rty duties; fifth those who shrink from new dut
on because they tear their inability to pertol
er them well, and sixth, those who fear the
a huence of the ballot or immoral classes
nsi. women. and who think here is too much v
mi, ing already. She gave an lOquent account
TO the good women are ii ing in temperance,
,ol. labor unions, in lifting ~, the degraded eve
The where, and closed her speech by an earn
re appeal directly to her audience, to enl
sti- under the banner OF those who ask foe
the ballot.